


Dark Pasts and Deep Secrets

by NonbinaryNerdbot



Series: Dark Pasts, Forgotten Loses [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Other, Superheroes, Villains, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 12:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16576796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonbinaryNerdbot/pseuds/NonbinaryNerdbot
Summary: Based on the prompt: You were once the most powerful villain. You retired early and are now engaged to a minor superhero who isn't aware of your past. They are about to be killed right before your eyes, but you step in...Morgan thought they were done with villain work. They had retired the mask and settled in with their hero partner months ago. But trouble never could leave Morgan alone, as an old colleague comes knocking...





	1. Chapter One: An Old Friend

The alarm clock buzzed gently on the side table and Morgan felt Alex shift on the bed next to them. Morgan cracked open their eyes and glanced around the dimly lit room, smiling softly at Alex as they shifted around into Morgan's arms once more. Morgan reached over to turn off the alarm clock and gently nudged Alex fully awake. 

"Darling, we have to wake up," Morgan signed to Alex's barely opened eyes. Alex nodded and snuggled closer, stretching their legs out and moaning as they did so. Morgan chuckled as the vibrations from Alex's groans of awakening trembled through their connected chests, causing Alex to look up and smile brightly, instantly raising Morgan's spirits. The two went about their morning routine, getting dressed and ready for the day, until the small wristband on Alex's right wrist vibrated and lit up. Alex glanced down and looked up, worried, at Morgan.

"It's perfectly fine, dear," Morgan said, walking over and kissing them gently on the forehead. "Go off and save the world. Just come home safe, alright?" Morgan handed Alex their suit and waved goodbye as they quickly changed and flew out the bedroom window, which in their suburban neighborhood was invisible to neighbors thanks to the 9-foot privacy fence bordering their backyard. 

Morgan continued on their day, feeding the dog and cat, watering the garden, and unloading the dishwasher. Their day was rather uneventful until the doorbell rang, lighting up from near the door way of each room in the house as it rang. Morgan walked to the front door and glanced out of the peephole before quickly opening it and yanking the person on the other side into the door before checking for Mrs. Lambert across the street, as she had a bit of a nasty habit of staring out her window. It seemed she must have been busy at that moment, because the window was clear. Sighing in relief and turning back to the man in their living room, Morgan placed their hands on their hips and felt their face contort slightly with frustration. 

"What have I told you all?" They demanded. "Do _not_ come over here, under any circumstances. I will come to you all. Why is that hard to understand?" Morgan didn't ask how he found them, they didn't have to. They could always be found, it was part of the old job. The man in their living room stood in full uniform, a bright green spandex uniform with black designs and a mask covering half their face.

The villain cringed, "I'm sorry, chief, but Max insisted. He knows you're in it with Decibel and he wanted to warn you. He wants you to come to HQ. He'd come himself, but you know how he gets after visions."

Morgan pinched the bridge of their nose and sighed. "I'm _out_ , Sam. As in, no longer in the game. Retired. And I told Max that when I left." 

Sam shrugged, "Don't know what to tell you chief. You know I wouldn't have come if it wasn't serious though."

Morgan nodded, "I know. But you're changing. And we're taking my car. Bathroom's down the hall and to the left. Hurry." With that, Morgan strode to their bedroom and hit a button on a knot in the wood on the side of the handmade dresser. A small click sounded and Morgan opened the third drawer down, grabbing a small key and remote, pointing the remote at the peaceful landscape painting and inputting a several digit code before slipping the key into a tiny, nearly invisible groove in the smallest mountain. The painting slid open and a nearly folded suit and mask laid within the alcove, along with a small utility belt on top. Morgan put on the suit quickly slipping into old routine and grabbing the black work boots out of the closet, putting them on and clicking toes, heels, toes in quick succession, transforming the boots into combat boots, the soles now logoed the same as the suit and with soundless soles that would never leave even the tiniest vibrations in their wake. Morgan grabbed a hoodie and sunglasses, slipping them on, his mask into his pocket, and slicking back their hair, walking out of the bedroom to meet Sam in the living room, his suit covered by a bomber jacket and his normal jeans over his legs, mask tucked into his pocket. The two nodded at each other and walked to the garage, Morgan leaving a note for Alex on the table just in case. Morgan took the lead, and when Sam spoke he sounded giddy. 

"Damn chief it's good to see you back in uniform." 

Morgan rolled their eyes and cuffed the back of his head. "Get in the car, Sam." 

~~~~~~~~

Less than an hour later Morgan was walking alongside Sam in full uniform once more. They strode confidently into the villain headquarters, passing several villains as they did. Some of the newer villains nodded at Sam and stared suspiciously at Morgan, while others, who had heard of Morgan's "glory days" either stared in open admiration, or tried to avoid Morgan's gaze entirely, one young villain even going so far as to use their power to turn invisible. Sam followed Morgan through their familiar route to the head meeting room, where Max stayed after his visions.

Morgan knocked once, firm and loud, before opening the door and walking in, keeping the light that entered to a minimum. Morgan entered carefully and closed the door right after Sam.  

"Max." They said, keeping their voice pitched low and soft.  

Max looked up from the desk, their eyes still glowing from the after effects of their visions. "Shadow. So nice to see you again. How have you been?”

Morgan nodded, "Well. And yourself, Max?” 

Max grimaced, "You know, if we were still coworkers, I'd insist you call me Vision, like everyone else.” 

Morgan replied deadpanned, "Well then it's a good thing we don't work together anymore, isn't it Max?” 

Max nodded, “I suppose it is. I've been alright, Shadow. Tired. It's hard running this place without my Shadow, as I 'm sure Lightening told you. The young ones-. They just don't understand. It's difficult to teach them, and harder still to get them to follow what they learn.”

Morgan nodded. “Sam hadn't told me anything, actually. Just that you wanted to talk to me. Something about your visions, and Decibel.”

Max began cackling, “Oh yes! You and the little Decibel. The new deaf superhero. Quite remarkable really, how they're able to sense the vibrations in the air and tell when they're in danger. Quite annoying to us, though I'm sure you know that. Yes, they were in my latest vision, and I thought I would let you know." Max paused, seemingly waiting.

Morgan gathered themselves and forced their emotional mask higher before asking, "What did you see?”

Max cackled again, his laugh echoing through the small meeting room. “Well, Shadow, what I saw was your little fuck toy,” Morgan's jaw jumped, “Being killed. Quite brutally. You can't imagine all the blood that the little hero's body held. It will stain the street for years to come. And there's nothing you can do to stop it. I just wanted you to know that the end is near for your little plaything. And then you will return to me, stand by my side once more.” 

Morgan kept their voice and face blank, “Alright. Thank you for the information, Max. Good to know I can still count on you.”

Max nodded, “Anytime, my little Shadow, any time.” 

With that, Morgan walked out of the room, Sam following quickly, the door closing quietly and darkness enveloping the room once more.

~~~~~~~~

Sam quickly led Morgan to one of the training rooms and evicted the training villains in there. Morgan stood ridged for a few moments, seeming to become a frozen statue. Sam merely watched for those few moments before beginning to speak.

"Chief, we have to get going soon. Let it out, or you won't be any good.” 

That was all it took.

Morgan screamed, a guttural, feral noise that seemed to tear their throat apart and echo into the air. Shadows seemed to jerk from every dark corner of the room and stretch, as though they had been awakened after a long sleep. The shadows whipped around the room, smashing furniture and testing equipment, lashing at anything they could. The only thing spared was Sam, who seemed to have a bubble around him. Morgan's hair whipped back and forth in the unseen wind of the rage, tears streaming down their face. Morgan's teeth were bared, and seemed to grow slightly in length and sharpness, now filling their mouth more than they had before. When Morgan finally stopped screaming, and the room righted itself for the most part, the shadows curling around Morgan, they dropped their head back down. Sam nearly gasped in surprise at the transformation, which he had seen only once before. While in the maelstrom of rage, Morgan had shifted slightly in appearance. Their hair, which had been a dark brown, was now a pitch black that seemed to radiate shadow rather than reflect light. Their eyes, which had been a soft green, hazel-y color, now glowed gold with silted pupils, and there was a black design along their pale skin that spread from the mask. Their teeth had become more like fangs, the canines now jutting just slightly over the bottom lip. The rest of them didn't change much, except for the shadows that now seemed to cling to them like a gauzy wrap that fluttered on its own in a wind that no one else could feel.

Sam looked up and down Morgan a few times before smirking.

"You know you have to change before we go into public, right?"

Morgan bared their teeth at him, a joking smirk across their face. The closed their glowing eyes and focused for a moment, and Sam watched, shaking his head, as the shadows drew in closer and wrapped themselves within the black portions of the suit, their hair lightening, markings receding, and their teeth seemed to shrink again, though the canines still looked sharper and longer than normal. They opened their eyes and the glow had receded somewhat, though they would still have to wear sunglasses to keep a low profile. Sam nodded and smiled, waving an arm dramatically. 

"Now come along, your Majesty! We have a hero to save!"

~~~~~~

Sam and Morgan made their way downtown, the last known location of Decibel and Morpheus, Decibel's archnemesis. They often fought whenever Morpheus decided to use her powers to sneak into people's dreams and control them, often for her own personal gain, though sometimes for the betterment of villains in general. When Sam and Morgan pulled up, the two were at it again, over the open abandoned train yard. Decibel was hovering in the air, sending sound waves at Morpheus, attempting to paralyze her for long enough to be captured, while Morpheus deflected the sound waves and sent her own dream bursts at Decibel. The battle was interesting to watch from Sam and Morgan's perspectives, as they took mental notes on each technique used and the other fighting styles being displayed. The two in the air were quite distracted for a few minutes before they noticed Sam and Morgan standing down below. Sam stood tall in his super suit, while Morgan stood next to him in what looked to be black pants and boots with their favorite jacket and sunglasses overtop. The two in the air froze, shocked, Decibel because they recognized Morgan, and Morpheus because she recognized Lightening.

Morgan bit their lip in worry. They had been the villain in these types of fights, they knew what training Morpheus had received. Currently, Morpheus was slightly below Decibel, hands raised in fighting position, ready to fire; the only thing that stopped her was her concern about Lightening, but Morgan knew that wouldn't last long. Decibel however, was clearly not thinking as Decibel, but as Alex, and during a fight, that was dangerous. All Alex saw was Morgan standing next to a well-known villain in the middle of the downtown train yard, during a time when police wouldn't approach, as they knew from experience to stay away from super fights. 

Morpheus snapped out of it, jerking her gaze back to Decibel and powering up quickly, unleashing a huge blast of her dream burst. Decibel looked up in barely enough time to raise their arms in defense as the dream blast hit them full force, knocking them unconscious instantly. Morgan didn't even think, their instincts from their days as Shadow kicking in completely. They raised their arms, the shadows ripping off the jacket and glasses, revealing them as Shadow, the transformations so carefully covered now came back full blast as all energy was focused on catching Decibel as they fell. Sam jerked back in shock, his own instincts making him fly a couple hundred yards away within a few seconds. The shadows rushed as quickly as they could, covering the distance almost quicker than Lightening had, but they weren't fast enough. Just as the shadows reached the ground under Decibel, they hit. A crater formed under them and Shadow ran across the yard to them, making no sound as they went to their side. Shadow collapsed to their knees next to Decibel, tears already running down their face in a thin oil as they quickly checked for a pulse and breathing. Lightening jerked over to Morpheus and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Tell me you did not just kill your hero. Tell me that right now." He demanded of Morpheus, his voice dark and sinister, the voice he used for his terrorizing of citizens. Morpheus shook with fear.

"I-I'm not sure, sir." She finally mumbled. Lightening threw her to the ground, disgusted.

"You'd better hope you didn't. Vision doesn't like it when newbies kill their heroes before he says." With that he dashed over to Shadow's side, where they kneeled, their hands now glowing with black as they hovered their hands over Decibel's head. "How's it coming, Shad?" He asked, keeping a safe distance. Shadow just shook their head. They weren't sure. 


	2. Chapter Two: Jumping Back

Shadow knelt next to Decibel, hands shaking, breathing shallow as they tried to think. Shadow had lost so many friends in battle that they had made sure to get medical training to avoid such disasters again, but at the moment, every bit of knowledge fled them, leaving their mind blank and void like. Shadow jerked as Lightening laid a hand on their shoulder.

"Take them to the realm, Shad." He said, calmly, firmly. "Do you remember how?" 

Tears ran faster down Shadow's face and they shook their head. Lightening clenched his jaw and thought for a moment. 

"Shad. Take a deep breath." He commanded. Shadow faltered and tried before sobbing once and returning to the shallow breathing pattern they had before. "Shadow, are you having a panic attack?" He asked, concern now furrowing his brow. Shadow took a moment to respond before shaking their head and shrugging. They weren't sure. Lightening clenched his jaw and summoned his power. 

_Zzz_ _-ack!_

Shadow jumped and jerked toward Lightening as a small volt of electricity ran down their back and into their arm. 

" _What?_ " They demanded, their voice altered by their powers. 

Lightening suppressed a shudder at Shadow's voice. "You needed to snap out of it. That wasn't the best way to handle it but we don't have time for the best way. You need to take them to the realm, Shadow. Now. Before it's too late." 

Shadow's eyes widened, their mouth dropping open slightly as they looked down at Decibel's pale face. Stoning their own expression, they nodded once before placing their hands onto Decibel's shoulders, closing their eyes and focusing. Lightening stood up and stepped back a few paces, watching as the shadows around the two arranged themselves into a bubble, encompassing the pair in darkness. After a moment the bubble began shrinking until it had disappeared completely. Lightening stared at the spot they disappeared from for a moment more before turning to Morpheus.

"Come with me," He demanded, sounding like it might be an option, though they both knew it wasn't. "We have much to discuss."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shadow opened their eyes when the temperature changed and the light surfaced behind their eyelids once more to see the Shadow Realm. 

The Shadow Realm was usually very comforting to Shadow. They had found the Realm at a very young age while attempting to hide from their tormentors and had visited quite often. The dark world was deeply shadowed and seemed to be lit from trees and certain plants with a warm red glow that heated the area nicely. The trees were probably their favorite; stark white skeletal trees that stretched to the sky above, mostly void, partially stars, and while the trees were thin, they were quite sturdy and made for good climbing when needed. At the moment though, Shadow didn't have time to climb trees and enjoy the scenery. They scooped up Decibel in their arms and ran. They vaguely remembered the way to their mentor, but they weren't very concerned about it, knowing their mentor would sense that she was needed, and knowing the Shadow Realm would lead them to her. 

After what felt like an eternity but was only a few moments, Shadow burst into their mentor's cavern, shoving aside the bead curtain and forcing their eyes to adjust to the blue lit room quickly. 

"Master!" They called out, setting Decibel down on the counter, panic now beginning to course through their veins again. A woman rounded the corner, carrying a leather pouch, a calm expression across her face. 

"Child, calm yourself. There's a candle set in your spot." 

Shadow nodded and walked over to a comfy violet chair with a small table in front of it with a large lit candle. Shadow worked on breathing to calm themselves and control their power while their Master worked.

Master Quinn was an older woman, elegant in stature and form. Her long grey hair was currently braided back and wrapped onto the top of her head. Her face was long, but perfectly proportioned, without a single blemish tarnishing her vintage beauty; her large, almond shaped eyes stared out over a gently hooking nose, and a gently bowing mouth that was currently pursed in concentration. She usually wore elegant, flowing dresses of the finest colors in the darker ends of the spectrum but was currently wearing a short-sleeved tunic and breeches, and no shoes, which she never wore anyway. Master Quinn worked quickly, stripping Decibel down to their undershirt and boxers before rubbing poultices around their body, chanting quietly under her breath as she did. 

Master Quinn's assistant and daughter, Coretta, walked in and sat next to Morgan, who had calmed down and taken off their mask and changed into a tunic and breeches outfit similar to Master Quinn's. Coretta and Morgan didn't speak, just held hands in silence while they watched the Master work. After several minutes, Master Quinn straightened and wiped her brow.

"So, blessed be." She concluded, turning to the pair across the room. "Alright, children. They shall be healed within the time it takes for you to tell me the tale of how this happened." Master Quinn sat in her chair across the room and picked up her knitting, something she always did when something of great importance was being discussed. 

Morgan cleared their throat and tried to clear the shadows from their voice, "I finally left _Max_ like you suggested, Master." They grimaced at the hint of shadow in their voice on his name but continued. "I finally realized that his ways were not the ways we should follow. And I met Alex," Morgan glanced at Coretta, sitting upright, looking at them attentively "And I knew that I couldn't risk having to fight them. They had never met me, but Vision often sent the more experienced villains to take care of new heroes the first few times before assigning younger villain to them. So, I stopped. _Max_ did what he always does to those who leave without his permission. And I moved on, made a new life. I met Alex for the first time and didn't even know who they were, only that they were the smartest, most beautiful person I had ever met in my life. We started talking, went out on a couple dates... It wasn't until our third or fourth date that their watch went off and I recognized it as a hero alert. I asked them and they admitted that they were Decibel, begged me never to tell. I promised I wouldn't, and we continued on with our lives. We started living together, and I had planned on asking them to marry me." Tears sprung into Morgan's eyes. "But there's no way they'll forgive me for this. Not telling them, even though I _knew_ it might land us in trouble, and I never told them. We said we'd tell each other everything, and I didn't." Morgan cupped their face in their hands, tears creating oil rivers down their cheeks into their fingers as they sobbed in regret. 

Suddenly a hand clasped on Morgan's shoulder. They jerked their head up to see Alex standing there, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Morgan gasped and jerked up, pulling Alex into a tight hug, crushing them to their chest.

"Alex, sweetheart, you're okay! Oh god I thought I had lost you!" Morgan pulled back so they could see Alex's face, "Are you okay? How do you feel? Do you need to sit? You should sit, here," They pulled Alex down onto the chair they had just been sitting in while they kneeled at their feet. "Thank goodness you're alright, I was so worried." Alex held up a hand. 

"Stop." They signed; Morgan stopped talking and looked up at Alex, fully attentive. "Morgan. What.... What happened?" 

Morgan cocked their head to the side, "When, darling?" They asked out loud and signed at the same time. 

"What happened before you met me?" Alex asked. 

Morgan felt the blood drain from their face and they turned to Coretta. "How long were they awake?" Morgan demanded, feeling sick. 

"I started signing for them about the time you said you couldn't fight them." Coretta said, her face blank. 

Morgan's stomach lurched and they wrapped their arms around themselves. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Before Coretta could answer, Alex cupped their chin and turned their face to them. "What happened? Morgan, I need to know." They demanded. 

Morgan swallowed hard and looked at their lap, signing as they spoke. "It's a long story, Alex. And I'm not proud of it." They glanced up for a second before looking back down, unable to maintain eye contact with them. "But I'll tell you all of it."

~~~~~~~~~~

Morgan Delacroix was an average kid. They went to elementary through high school like everyone else - lived in suburbia with two parents and an older sibling. They rode the bus until they turned 16, when they got their license and drove to school from then on. The kept their grades into the A and B range, gained a few small scholarships to the local university, and on the weekends worked at the local fast food joint. The few odd things about Morgan were also fairly easily explained; they spoke French fluently because their parents were both from France and hadn't gotten good at English until Morgan was already in school, so they spoke French around the house. Morgan didn't have very many friends because they spoke English with a fairly heavy accent and had been ostracized at a young age because of it. Morgan wasn't popular because they didn't wear the right clothes or drive the right car because her family was lower middle class and paying for her brother's university and didn't have a ton of money left over for the younger sibling. 

The other odd parts of Morgan Delacroix were less explainable. Morgan, for example, was notorious for being forgotten. It didn't matter where they were or who they were with, they were forgotten about almost every time, their peers even claiming that half the time they weren't there. Morgan wore mostly black and rarely spoke to anyone unless prompted. Morgan also was forced to go to counseling with the school councilor twice a week because of their 'disturbing thoughts'. 

Morgan also had powers. Morgan was able to control shadows. The shadows seemed to talk to them, and they talked back. The shadows hadn't harmed anybody, yet, so there was still a chance that Morgan would end up a hero. But nobody had ever heard of a hero who could control shadows. Because of this difference, those who paid attention to Morgan's powers were uncomfortable around them, and would make fun of them, or avoid them entirely. 

It wasn't until Morgan got into high school that their life turned around. They had defined themselves as nonbinary during middle school, and had lost a few more popularity points, leaving them at the rock bottom of the social ladder. They never went to parties, they had no friends, they spent their lunch hour tucked in the back of the library with large tomes, and while they got good grades, the grades weren't high enough to distinguish them from their other peers. Morgan had accepted their fate to the niche of an outcast when Max Rodriguez walked into their life. Max was a transfer student from a school across the country where he had been kicked out for something, rumors ranging from bringing pot to school to setting the chemistry lab on fire to raping someone in the bathroom. It was really unclear where these rumors had come from and while Max didn't seem to be concerned with any of them as he walked around in goth style clothes and his brightly dyed hair. After a few days he came up to Morgan during their first hour study hall, standing over them.

"So, what's your story?" He asked – closer to demanded - of Morgan, "The rumors about you are almost worse than mine, so you must be pretty interesting." 

Morgan glanced up for a few moments before turning back to their book, hoping he would get the hint and leave. No such luck. Max reached over and tapped the top of their book, shaking the pages.

"Hey, emo nightmare, I'm talking to you. You listening?" He asked, his hand still lightly tapping the spine of the book. 

Morgan clenched their teeth and ignored Max as best they could, focusing on the pages instead. That is, until Max grabbed the book out of their hands. He marked the page they were on with a single finger while closing the book to get a better look at the jacket.

" _The Bell Jar_ , huh? Plath's a good writer. Very under appreciated." He said, placing the book back in their hands which hung in their spots from where the book had been sitting. "Ever read it before?" 

Morgan stared up at Max, blinking, confused. No one had ever taken a book from their hands before. Heck, no one had even talked to them for this long in years. After a moment the nodded once, and faced their book once more, swiveling in their seat to put their back to Max. Max, unperturbed by the shift, merely pulled up a chair next to them, getting closer than anyone had been in months, but not so close as to be uncomfortable. 

"So, are the rumors true?" He asked, genuinely curious. Caught off guard, Morgan turned to him as he continued, "What they say about you being a witch. Is it true? Cause that'd be really cool," He said, eyes alight with awe. 

Morgan felt a blush come over their face and the nodded once, shrugging, trying to convey that, yeah, they were, but it really wasn't a huge deal. Max's face lit up more, but he kept his excitement controlled. 

"So, is what they say about your powers true too? Do you really control shadows?" 

Morgan nodded once again, not sure what he was so excited about.

"Can I see them?" He asked, his face flushed with excitement. He quickly brought himself back down, "If that's okay with you, I mean. I don't want to pressure you or anything. I may be weird but I try not to be too big a dick." 

Morgan blinked twice before nodding again, relaxing slightly and allowing the shadows to expand and rise up, curling around them like a protective blanket. Max's eyes widened.

"Whooooa," He said, staring at the shadows in awe, a small smile across his face. He held a hand out a few inches above their arm, "Can I touch them? Is that okay?" 

Morgan took a deep breath and slowly relaxed a little more, giving the shadows just a bit more freedom. One tendril quickly rose up to meet Max's hand, the shadow wrapping around it, teasing through his fingers and around his palm. Max's face went slack in surprise for a moment before he started playing with the shadows like one might play with a kitten and a stretch of yarn. This went on for a few moments before Max looked up and saw the stress on Morgan's face. He withdrew his hand and looked them in the face. 

"If you want to bring them back down you can. Thank you for showing me." He kept his voice calm and slow. Morgan blinked a few times quickly before taking a deep breath once more and pulling the shadows in. A few seconds after, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class.

Walking out for their next classes, Max stopped and looked back at them.

"You don't talk much, do you?" He asked, not sounding put out or upset. Morgan hesitated before nodding once. Max nodded back, looking thoughtful. "Cool. We can find other ways to talk. Nice to meet ya, Shadow," Max winked once and walked off to his class, Morgan hesitating for a moment before going off to their next class. 

Through the next few weeks, Max and Morgan hung out more. In the library during lunch, before and after school while waiting for the bus, etc. It seemed that they were each other's only friend. It was pretty exciting for Morgan, who had never had a real friend before, and Max, though seeming unfazed, was also quite happy with the development. 

Over the next few months, the two grew as friends, sharing time like other kids traded candy. They became a dynamic duo of sorts as they walked down the hall, Morgan closer to floating down while Max tended to strut. It wasn't until Max's first reveal of power that they became even closer. The first time Max's powers showed were terrifying and neither of them knew what was happening. It wasn't an ideal circumstance at all, but it made their friendship even stronger. Throughout the years, the two had only each other. Slowly they gained a few more outcasts and added them to the fray, but they only counted on each other. 

However, eventually, Max became corrupted by his power. His visions became more powerful, more catastrophic, and he began either ignoring them, or assisting them, making them even more damaging. Max and Morgan had agreed when the first few visions hit that they would do everything in their power to make sure that as few citizens as necessary got hurt. After all, there's no point in ruling the world if there's no one to rule. Max remembered this agreement, and at first took to hiding his visions so Morgan didn't know. After Morgan found out, they were furious, demanded that Max begin preventing them again. That caused the biggest fight they'd ever been in together. And it was the last. After that fight, a few new heroes popped up, and Morgan realized that Max would have them fight them the first few times. Realizing their powers could be used as a weapon by Max, Morgan left. It was one of the hardest decisions they'd ever made, but they were happy with the choice. A few weeks after they quit, healed from leaving, and started their new life, they met Alex. They couldn't have been happier. 

~~~~~~

Morgan kept staring at their lap, "That's it," they signed. "That's all there is to it." They bit their lip and looked up, tears still leaving small oil tracks in their wake, "I'm so sorry for not telling you. I hoped that they would never come back, but I should have known better." They looked over, away from Alex, not able to continue looking at them, "I understand if you don't forgive me." They signed, the tears flowing a little quicker. 

Alex stood for a moment, head hurting and bangs falling across their face. They watched Morgan for a moment before walking over, sitting on their lap and curling up, placing their head on Morgan's shoulder and soaking up the warmth Morgan always radiated. Morgan wrapped their arms tightly around Alex, cradling them close and crying quietly. 

"I'm still pissed." Alex said, their words thick and carefully constructed - they very rarely spoke. They rose their head up and made eye contact with Morgan, cupping their face and wiping away the pitch tears. "But, I think we can make it work. Besides, I don't know what you went through to get out, but if you went through this much to be free, then you must be worth a second chance." They smirked and kissed Morgan's forehead, "I won't leave you darling. Not now, not ever, so long as you will have me."

Morgan smiled wide, laughing happily and kissed Alex firmly. "Thank you love, thank you so much." They formed their words clearly and smiled wider, hugging Alex tightly, possessively. They pulled away, kissing once more before standing.

Holding hands, the couple said their goodbyes to Master Quinn and Coretta and traveled back home, greeting their dog and cat and snuggling on the couch for some crap TV and occasional kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working on some sequel and prequel parts to this universe... Let me know if you're interested.

**Author's Note:**

> If you see any errors, have any notes, questions, or reactions, let me know in the comments.


End file.
